Two Different Worlds
by MsUpToNoGood
Summary: Hermione is back for her final year at Hogwarts, but the attention of a certain someone is leaving her with question marks in her head. With a new haircut and a bolder attitude she is shocked by what is yet to come from her ex-nemesis... Draco Malfoy. Dramione!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: My first published work; I would really appreciate all constructive criticism. Please review and tell me what you think.

Hermione slowly looked up from her book because she had the feeling that someone was staring at her. This wasn't the first time she caught him looking at her, and she knew it wouldn't be the last. Usually his face was twisted into a rude sneer or a smirk when he looked her way, but for the past week he watched her with extreme curiosity.

She didn't know what to make of Draco Malfoy's new attitude but she didn't enjoy being stared at. First she thought she was imagining it when she caught him glancing her way in Transfiguration but then after he what happened the day before she knew something was up.

The Slytherins were walking out of the Great Hall and back to their common room after dinner when Pansy Parkinson decided to make a snide comment about Hermione's hair. The Gryffindor girl didn't look at her or even acknowledge her at that moment because after all that has happened with the war she didn't feel up to making silly remarks and lowering herself to Parkinson's level.

"Hex me if I'm wrong but by Merlin, Granger, did you have an argument with your hair and decide to chop it off? We all know it was a mess but I don't think cutting it solved your problem," spat Parkinson, "you just look like a sad little boy."

Hermione ignored her attempts to wind her up. After the war she made a decision to start fresh. So she began with her hair and decided she wanted a pixie cut. And so she did.

Harry and Ron were shocked at first but then told her she looked beautiful. Because she did. No matter how hard Pansy tries, Hermione knew she looked good. And no one failed to compliment her.

Hermione wasn't startled by what Pansy had said to her, it's what she heard afterward that really shocked her.

"I think she looks better than she did before."

The comment was followed by an awkward silence, a few gasps and a puff from Pansy who stormed off. The voice belonged to Draco Malfoy.

_Did he really just say that? _Hermione couldn't help staring back at him in shock.

He just shrugged and said, "Well you do." He gave her a soft smile and walked off.

Now she was in the library and he was sitting near her STARING. Godric, he was as subtle as an elephant in a broom cupboard.

She slammed her book shut and walked over to him.

"Why did you say that yesterday?" she demanded more than asked.

He smirked before answering, "That was a compliment Granger, if you didn't notice."

"I did notice, and now I'm asking you why you said it." She turned slightly red remembering his words.

"I'm just glad you got that awful bird's nest you called hair under control," he replied genuinely, "you look good."

"Who are you and what have you done with the ferret?"

Malfoy didn't reply, he just smirked and looked away.

He knew she had changed since the war, but he had to show her and everyone else that he wasn't the same prejudice ass he was before.

Hermione was still waiting for an answer, so he simply stood up and said "I need to tell you something, please say you'll meet me on the balcony of the Astronomy tower at eight o'clock tonight."

She was baffled by what he said, and then shook her head slightly. "Can't you tell me now?"

"No, not now," his grey eyes were pleading, but his face remained solid, "please Hermione."

She gasped at the sound of her own name coming out of his mouth. Hermione found herself even more confused than she was five minutes ago.

"Err- Alright I guess," she whispered.

Draco's heart fluttered and he was out of the library before Hermione could see the giant smile on his face.

_Was this because I saved him?_ Hermione thought to herself as she walked back to the Gryffindor common room. _I guess it is… it's the only logical reason. _


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I am so sorry for not updating in such a long time. I thank you all for your great reviews, and hopefully I'll be updating regularly. I hope you're all still with me on this. Let's pray it doesn't suck! Don't stop the reviews they make my day! **

Chapter 2

It was 7:56 pm and Hermione Granger was standing on the balcony of the Astronomy Tower waiting for the reason she had been up there in the first place. She slowly closed her eyes and felt the wind whistle around her and tickle her newly bare neck.

It was an impulsive decision, her hair, but she knew she made the right choice. As for other new physical differences, she had more toned muscles in her arms, legs and stomach. The young bushy-haired petit girl was gone and in her place was a strong sexy woman who survived a war.

She managed the nightmares of the horror she had witnessed in Hogwarts by working out. Almost every day this past summer she went for a run around her Muggle neighborhood and did as many push-ups, sit ups, or pull ups as she could. By the end of the summer, Hermione felt stronger and capable of self-defense without magic.

She glanced shyly at the sweater she was wearing right there and noticed that it showed off her curves. Did she wear that on purpose? Suddenly she was snapped out of her daydream as she heard a man clear his throat behind her. Hermione turned around to see the person she had been waiting for.

"Where were you?" she exclaimed.

"Granger, I asked you to meet me here at 8, not quarter to 8," he smirked cheekily, "your pointless need for punctuality was your own fault."

She was considering insulting him but realized that if she started they'll probably never get to the real reason he asked her up there.

"Right then, what is it you wanted to say?" she asked coldly.

"It's quite long… and I'm not sure of how to say it exactly…" he looked nervously around the balcony avoiding her eyes.

"Hurry up, I have homework to do."

"I know for a fact that you've already finished your homework Granger, now before you say how I must be stalking you, just hear me out."

_Stalker… _she thought before she sighed and turned back to the view as she waited for him to figure out his words.

"Alright, I guess what I want to say to you is thanks," he said after some time. "Without you I wouldn't be standing here right now.

**FLASHBACK **

_Hermione ran through the destroyed castle trying to dodge curses being shot from all different angles. She was looking for Ron and Harry through the crowd of Death Eaters and students, and hated to admit it but was completely terrified she wasn't going to make it out alive. _

_Right as she spotted a head of red hair turning a corner, she saw Draco Malfoy crunched down and helping someone from under a fallen pillar. She quickly realized that that person was none other than Daphne Greengrass, half unconscious and probably too hurt to walk. _

_She stood there baffled, watching as the traitor helped his old friend. When suddenly she noticed a Death Eater looking over at the two Slytherins and aiming his wand at them. Without hesitation, she pulled her own wand and aimed it at the Death Eater and shouted "STUPEFY!" _

_The man fell to the floor frozen, and Draco had enough time to turn around and see who had saved his life. He was shocked to find the bushy-haired girl he had tormented over the years hex a Death Eater that was about to kill him. Hermione turned and ran off to continue looking for her friends; that was the last time she had seen Malfoy before starting her new year at Hogwarts. _

**END FLASHBACK**

She was a little surprised that he had actually thanked her for what she had done but a little part of her was sort of expecting him to say something. After all, she did in fact save his life. Why did she have to curse a Death Eater anyway? But before she let her mind wander she turned back to find Draco waiting for her response.

"Of course, I mean… you're welcome…" she said quietly, "It's just that-" she stopped herself and shot a quick glance at Draco whose expression remained unchanged, "Never mind, is that all?"

"Oh, um, yeah, but can I ask you something?" he sounded apprehensive but quickly hid it with his calm stiff posture.

She just gave him a look as if to say 'go on'.

"Why did you cut your hair?" he asked curiously.

"Why do you want to know?" she challenged.

"Why did you answer my question with a question? Do you always do that?"

"Do you always ask people about their hair?" she asked lamely.

"Do you always have stupid comebacks?"

"Why would I waste my witty comebacks on you?"

"Well who else are you going to argue with? Potty or Weasel? But you know what, you're right, those two probably need a smart remark to keep their brains from shutting down."

"Are you always this annoying? And don't talk about my friends like that!" he was really pushing her buttons now. And here she thought they'd have a civilized conversation.

"Come on Granger, you're smarter than that, at least give me one good comeback, for old times' sake" He said with a horrible smirk stretching across his face.

God she hated that smirk.

"I am smarter than this; I'm smart enough to realize that you're still as immature as ever! And I'm smart enough to realize that this conversation is a waste of my time!" at that, she turned on her heel and stormed off.

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Draco stood at the top of the Astronomy Tower by himself, after watching Hermione walk away. That girl was unbelievable! He couldn't fathom how he actually felt apprehensive at the thought of approaching her to thank her for saving his life. Well, he understood he had to thank her. But to act nervously around her and to compliment her in front of dozens of students?! Was he losing his mind?

He knew that the war had changed him by a great deal. He no longer believed in his previous pureblood mania. After Lucius Malfoy escaped from Azkaban Prison and killed himself in a fit of rage and insanity, Draco spent his summer taking care of his mother who (although relived to be rid of Lucius's burden) felt a horrible sense of guilt and grief at the loss of her husband. They had shared wonderful moments together, and at one point in their lives, they had loved each other. But the Dark Lord came first to him, and that had caused many problems between them.

After time, she had recovered; Draco's name was cleared from any accusation by the Ministry and now he inherited all of his father's properties.

He now had the chance at a better life, and he was happy for this opportunity to start over.

While he was talking to Granger he couldn't help but look at her. The sweater she had been wearing fit all too well, and he could see her thin waist and curves. At some point he had been entranced by the way her new look had made him feel. She looked like a woman. Not like the girl he remembered.

Draco mentally kicked himself for thinking about Granger that way. Although he would not look down on her for being a Mudblood, he still couldn't bring himself to think about Hermione Granger, of all people, as if he actually cared.

_But you do care, remember? You saved her. But she'll never know… _She can't know. If she ever found out, it would never be the same between them.

At that thought, Draco left the Tower and started to head back to the Dungeons.

**A/N: REVIEWS! Tell me what you think! Criticize me and make me better! **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Hermione rushed to Dumbledore's old office after receiving a note at breakfast to meat Professor McGonagall regarding her position as Head Girl. The new Headmistress had informed her at the beginning of term that her position as Head Girl would have to wait until later to be declared due to the fact that their supposed 'Head Boy' was going to be Harry Potter.

But he changed his mind at the last minute to start his career as an Auror with Ronald Weasley. So the Headmistress had to hunt down the second best male in her year and convince him to take the job.

Hermione didn't know who the new Head Boy was going to be, but she suspected she was about to find out.

As she stood waiting for stairs to stop moving and reach their destination, she couldn't help but try and guess who the new Head Boy would be.

When she walked into the office of the late Professor Dumbledore, she noticed that everything was just as he left it except Professor McGonagall was sitting in his usual spot, writing on a piece of parchment and obviously oblivious to her presence. The old woman respected her friend enough to leave his office just as he wanted it to stay. Hermione couldn't help but smile at the sense of nostalgia she felt when she saw it and took in the scene before her.

"Good morning Professor," she said with a clear voice to make her presence known.

Professor McGonagall looked up from her writing and placed the quill down before she spoke, "Ah, Miss Granger, good morning, please have a seat and wait for your partner to come, he should be here any minute now."

Just as she sat down, Hermione heard the stairs from behind her move into place and a pair of feet walking over to where she and the Headmistress were seated. She turned around and her eyes widened at the sight before her.

Malfoy.

Draco _bloody _Malfoy.

He sat on the chair next to Hermione's with a smirk and shot her a side glance but other than that he didn't pay the girl much attention.

"Right on time Mr. Malfoy," said McGonagall before turning her full attention to the two in front of her.

"As you both know by now, the school is still trying to work at its usual efficiency, but after the war, the repair just doesn't cover it," she said sternly, "Hogwarts has endured a lot over the years but this had been its breaking point. Things are not working up to standards, and your first task as Head boy and Head girl is to make sure that any problem like this be fixed immediately, either by yourselves or a teacher. Understood?"

They nodded.

"Wonderful, now follow me," the Headmistress rose from her chair and started walking out of her office, the two students walked after her obediently.

Hermione shot an annoyed look at Draco and he returned the favor by scowling at her. Ugh! She could not stand him. The thought of working with him was already annoying her out of her mind and they hadn't even started.

They walked to an unfamiliar corridor that was probably made new whilst rebuilding Hogwarts. The hall was long and empty but ended at a large painting of a handsome prince. He was sitting on a throne and had beautiful blue eyes; Hermione was mesmerized by his beauty.

He gave McGonagall a respectful bow then looked at Draco and Hermione. Stopping to look at Hermione then smiling shyly and bowing to her as well whilst ignoring Draco. She blushed lightly then looked away feeling embarrassed but unable to get the small smile off her face.

The painting swung open to a room that looked like their common room except it was meant to accommodate only two students. There were two comfortable looking armchairs facing a fireplace, one dark green with silver legs and one maroon red with gold legs, in between the two chairs was sofa and right in front of it was a small coffee table. To their right was a small door that opened to show a small kitchenette with a few cupboards and a small stove. There was a large window in the middle of the large wall in front of them and beside it were two desks and chairs. On the left was a staircase leading up but they couldn't see where it was leading from where they were standing. It was cozy and nice, but the students didn't know what it was for.

Hermione gave McGonagall a small questioning look then turned to look at her surroundings.

McGonagall cleared her throat then said, "You are both accustomed to the previous Hogwarts traditions of the Head Boy and the Head Girl residing in their own Houses with their own private rooms, but this year will be different. You will be living together in your own Heads dormitories to maximize efficiency and minimize time lost. Also it would be much easier for everyone if you didn't have to go into each other's common rooms; we both know how Gryffindors and Slytherins are. No need try and hide it."

Hermione realized that her mouth was hanging low and snapped it shut, _Wait… What?!_

She looked over at Draco but he remained indifferent. Then she turned back to see McGonagall watching them both intently before speaking again.

"This is your common room, the kitchen is right there if you need anything and this-" she said whilst gesturing at the staircase "-leads up to your bedrooms, and your bathroom."

Hermione shook her head and turned to look at her Professor, "One bathroom?" she asked with a small voice.

At this McGonagall turned to both of them and said, "I'm pretty sure you won't need two separate ones, this one is rather extraordinary and the school cannot fund two bathrooms of what you were provided with. Also, knowing you two, there will be no problem, I hope."

_No problem?_ Was McGonagall loosing it? Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy under the same roof was a problem! Everyone at Hogwarts knew that.

"One more thing, you are both allowed to enter each other's bedrooms in case of any emergencies or sort, but no friends of the opposite gender. The rooms were charmed to ban them from entering. Alright?"

They nodded respectfully and watched as their Headmistress found her way out.

After an eternity of silence she turned to Draco and found him looking at the green armchair with as much interest as one could really give a piece of furniture. She glared openly at him before speaking.

"How on Earth did you manage to get Head Boy?" she asked sharply.

He looked her over with the same enthusiasm as if she were that green armchair, before shrugging and replying, "Did you really never notice that I was always second to you in every class? Or was your head too big to notice anyone else except yourself?" he answered coldly.

Oh yeah… she forgot that he was the second smartest person in their year.

She hated being in this situation. She hated having to live with this person. Why would the universe punish her like that?

She glared at him once more before marching up the stairs to her room.

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_Just bloody brilliant. _

The one person he wanted to avoid all year and this happens. Draco was convinced that someone was playing a mean trick on him. This was going to be a long and difficult year, he thought. And it's not going to get any easier.

He walked up the stairs to find a hallway with three doors, the one right in front of him was slightly ajar, so he pushed it open and saw the _extraordinary bathroom_ McGonagall was referring to. It looked a lot like his bathroom at home. A silver toilet, a large full length mirror, double sinks, a shower, and a tub that was dug into the ground as if it were a pool. He walked over to the tub and sat next to it, estimating that it would probably fit four people without crowding the situation.

He walked out of the bathroom and moved to the room on the right with the green and silver door handle, which he guessed, was his.

The room contained a queen-sized four poster bed, a closet, a small bookshelf for his personal reading and an arm chair similar to the one in the common room downstairs facing a window. He found his trunk sitting at the foot of his bed with all his belongings safely intact.

Draco made his way to the chair then sat down and admired the view of the lake before dozing off.

He awoke a few hours later and saw that it was still day time outside. He checked the time and saw that he had an hour to kill before going down to lunch and facing his friends.

So he decided on a nice hot bath.

Draco walked out of his room and into the bathroom, forgetting that Hermione was in the room right next to this, and did not lock the door after himself. Instead he just took off all his clothes and filled the tub with hot water. While he was sitting in the tub waiting for it to fill up to the top, he flicked his wand and with a simple incantation he learned from his mother, the water started smelling of mint leaves, musk and jasmine flowers. He thanked the heavens that the jasmine scent didn't linger, but the strong musk and mint scent always left him smelling good.

He had just begun to close his eyes and rest his head back when he heard the door open suddenly and saw Hermione standing there with a look of horror and surprise on her face. She quickly hid her face with her hands and turned around. Draco smirked at her reaction; from where she was standing it'd be a miracle to see anything. All she could see was his head and his arms sticking out on either side of the pool.

"Did you even think about locking the door?" she exclaimed.

He knew he was forgetting something.

"What do you want Granger?" He asked irritably. She was getting in the way of his peace and quiet.

She turned around and blushed while slowly biting on her lower lip. Then she muttered something that he didn't hear properly.

"What? Speak up!" he demanded.

"I need to use the loo! How long are you going to take?! This is quite urgent!" She emphasized the last sentence before staring at him with cold eyes.

He looked away then sighed, clearly annoyed by her mere existence.

"Well, isn't that just a tragedy," he replied coolly before closing his eyes again and leaning his head back.

Draco knew all too well that she was burning holes in him with her eyes, but he did nothing to acknowledge her presence except smirk at the ceiling.

"Are you serious right now?!" she roared.

He looked up at her and saw her fuming in his direction; and couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

She glared at him some more before turning around and stomping out of the bathroom, leaving the door wide open. He reached for his wand then with a small flick closed and locked the door before she could come back and bother him again.

_Maybe this wasn't so bad, _he thought to himself with a small smile before he went back to relaxing in the hot water.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I actually forgot to write an author's note in the previous chapter because I got a little too excited about it and all hehe o:) Anyway! I really appreciate the new followers and the nice reviews! You guys are amazing! Please continue telling me what you think about the story your reviews mean everything to me! **

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

Hermione was running down the halls and through the corridors to the dungeons for her Potions class which she was clearly late for. She was furious about what happened to her the night before and again this morning. Draco refused to let her use the toilet last night and she was forced to run all the way to the nearest bathroom she knew (which was a twenty minute run from where she was) before her bladder exploded.

This morning was no different; she woke up and headed for the bathroom only to find it locked. This time when she knocked, an annoyingly cheerful voice answered.

"Occupied!" he yelled, the smirk clear in his voice.

"Well how much longer are you going to take?" she asked clearly frustrated.

"Oh I was thinking about skipping breakfast and staying here right until class started," he answered merrily.

She tried every unlocking spell she knew before she considered bombarding the door but then reminded herself that she would get into a lot of trouble if she did and she would probably not be Head Girl anymore.

Hermione huffed in annoyance and cussed under her breath.

That had caused her to run all the way to the other bathroom with all her belongings and then hurry to class. She had already missed breakfast and her tummy was demonstrating the mating call of the blue whale.

When she arrived to the Potions class she entered with red cheeks, rumpled school robes (from putting them on quickly and running) and deep heavy breaths. She looked like she was about to faint.

Draco had a smug look on his face and obviously, that ridiculous smirk.

She shot him a glare before she realized that the whole class had turned to look at her with a confused expression that was exactly like the expression her Potions Professor wore.

"Ms Granger, mind explaining your tardiness?" he asked politely.

"Oh… um…" she looked at Draco and found him sniggering with his Slytherin friends, "I… um… I'm sorry Professor, I overslept. Won't happen again," she replied confidently.

She couldn't bloody well tell him that the reason she was late was because Draco was in bathroom too long.

"Right, take a seat then and be sure to come early next time," he said before turning his attention back to the class.

Hermione walked over to Neville's table and sat down next to him, and for the rest of the day she ignored Draco and his gang and focused on her classes.

At dinner that night, Hermione decided to tell Ginny and Neville all about what had happened, from Draco thanking her at the top of the Astronomy Tower, to the new Heads dormitories, the bathroom incident and what had happened to her that morning.

Ginny sighed before saying, "well you have to understand, even if he isn't a prejudice arse anymore, he's still Draco Malfoy, the rude arrogant pig we all know and despise."

"Yea Mione, you shouldn't let him get to you, he hasn't changed all that much you know," Neville replied with a slight shrug.

Before Hermione had a chance to reply to her friends, Professor McGonagall stood at the podium and cleared her throat. The chatter and clatter of forks and knives died to a deafening silence.

"I hope you all understand that we had good reason to wait until we announced this year's Head Girl and Head Boy," she said, "so without further ado, this year's Head Girl is Hermione Granger!" A loud roar from the Gryffindor table erupted and the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws did not fail to applaud the young witch. A few silent claps and sneers were given from Slytherin but that was all.

"And this year's Head Boy goes to Draco Malfoy!" continued McGonagall. Slytherin applauded just as enthusiastically as Gryffindor did when Hermione was announced. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw clapped along as well, but Gryffindor only clapped silently and glared over at the Slytherin table. Hermione glanced over and saw Draco smiling proudly at his friends as the applause went on.

McGonagall silenced everyone before saying, "If you have any questions, complaints or suggestions please address them to these two students. Hopefully we will have a successful year with the help of Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy."

There was another applause and before she knew it Hermione was already up and leaving the Great Hall. She didn't want to go back to the dreaded Heads dormitories and decided to go to the library instead.

When she reached, she took a seat at the very back to finish her homework in peace. She forgot all about Draco and was on a roll finishing almost all her homework for this week when suddenly she was interrupted by a pair of hands slamming onto her table and an annoyingly familiar voice saying, "Hello Granger."

She rolled her eyes then looked up to see Draco Malfoy looking down at her with a mischievous smile playing at his lips. Hermione put down her quill then folded her arms before leaning back in her chair to create some space between her and the unwelcome Slytherin.

"What do you want?" she asked drily.

"I had a wonderful bath this morning, you really should try out that pool of ours," he said whilst taking a seat in front of her.

"Why would I when you clearly contaminated it?" she answered coldly.

He laughed at her response then shook his head before replying, "Why didn't you report me to McGonagall yet Granger?"

Hermione was stunned for a second, she wasn't expecting that.

"I didn't want to waste her time because of your childish behavior," she answered then played with a short strand of hair that was tickling her ear.

Draco looked at her with an amused expression and then said, "Oh really?" his smirk never leaving his face, "I think you just want to catch me in the tub again, maybe next time you'd like to see more than just my arms."

Hermione's eyes widened and her mouth dropped, then her expression changed to one of disgust.

"Are you serious? EW!" she exclaimed while making gagging noises.

Draco laughed, clearly amused by her reaction. The disgusted look never left her face.

"I propose a truce, mainly because I can hear your mind planning revenge and I honestly don't want to get caught up in what you have arranged for me," he said after taking a breath.

This took Hermione by surprise, and he wasn't wrong about the revenge, but she just simply nodded before asking, "What do you have in mind?"

"We can plan a schedule for mornings, see who uses the bathroom first, I like taking quick showers and I normally never take more than 15 minutes," he answered honestly.

"Well, my showers don't take long anymore," she said whilst pointing at her short hair, "so I don't mind if you use the bathroom first."

"Great, when I'm in there I'll charm the door to turn green, and when you're in there charm it to turn red, that way we'll avoid scenarios like the one that happened yesterday," he said with a rather serious expression.

Hermione nodded then gathered her books and excused herself and started making her way back to her dormitory.

_That was a nice turn of events, _she thought.

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_That was weird turn of events, _thought Draco as he sat staring at the spot Hermione was occupying just moments before. He was ready to annoy her and wind her up, because that was his favorite hobby right after Quidditch. But his plan took a strange turn after he saw her twirling a small strand of her hair, he didn't understand what happened at that moment but he saw her. He noticed how soft her hair looked and wondered if it was long enough for him to run his fingers though.

He suddenly stopped, staring wide-eyed at the bookcase in front of him. _Did he just think about that? _Draco put a hand to his head and then noticed he was a little warm, maybe he's coming down with something that's why he was having these hallucinating thoughts about none other than Granger.

He then stood up and stormed out of the library and made his way to the Slytherin common room.

When he reached he found Blaise Zabini, Theo Nott, Daphne Greengrass, and Pansy Parkinson sitting around the fire talking about something related to Herbology. Draco made his presence known by clearing his throat and plopping himself in between Daphne and Blaise, and earned himself some questioning looks.

Pansy was the first to speak up, "Well well, look at this, the Head boy is none other than our very own Draco Malfoy," she smiled flirtatiously then winked at him.

"It was hardly surprising since I knew McGonagall was going to ask me to do it," Draco replied smugly.

"That's not what I heard," said Theo with an evil smirk, "I heard it was Potter she had in mind, but since he didn't want to finish his last year here, she chose you."

"Guess you're just second best… Again!" said Blaise with a laugh.

Draco shot them both a deathly glare before saying, "Well it hardly matters, the only problem now is Granger, we have to live together."

"WHAT?" exclaimed all his friends at the same time.

Pansy had the most horrified look on her face and couldn't help but scowl unattractively at the words that came out of Draco's mouth.

"Yea McGonagall said that we had to share a dormitory to 'maximize efficiency' or something," he continued to explain. He decided not to mention anything about the shared bathroom.

"That's quite unfortunate mate," said Blaise giving him a pat on the back, "I can barely stand that insufferable know-it-all and now you have to live with her."

Pansy was so angry that she bolted out of the common room and back to her room, Daphne followed her silently.

"Well that's exactly how I expected her to react," said Draco after she left.

"You two aren't a thing anymore right?" asked Theo curiously.

"Yea it ended over the summer," Draco replied with a defeated sigh, "it was… rather unpleasant."

"How so?" asked Blaise.

Draco then stood up and lifted his school shirt from the right and showed them the scar sliced at his side.

The two Slytherins gaped at the sight in front of them.

"What the fuck happened?" asked Theo with a horrified expression.

"Long story short, when I told her I didn't love her she forgot she had a knife in her hand, and well… the rest is pretty self-explanatory," he answered with a shrug.

"Merlin Draco," said Blaise after a long stare at his scar, "she's one crazy bitch."

"Hey, I forgave her okay," said Draco, "besides, it looks pretty cool."

Theo shook his head at his friend's shallowness and Blaise just sniggered.

"Anyway," continued Draco as he tucked his shirt back into his pants, "you can't tell her you know, she'll skin me alive if she found out that anyone knew about this."

His friends nodded in agreement.

"Well, I'm off, see you later," said Draco whilst leaving the room.

His friends waved good-bye before going into a heavy discussion about Quidditch.

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Hermione sat on her bed absent-mindedly petting Crookshanks, and was thinking about her friends and the last time she saw them.

Her and Ron decided to part ways and were on a mutual agreement that if they caught up after her last year in Hogwarts and they haven't found anyone, they'd work on their 'relationship' and see where it led to.

She missed them so much, Hogwarts wasn't the same without them.

Everything seemed quieter and less… exciting without her boys.

She decided to write to them and see how they were doing.

She reached into her schoolbag and pulled out her parchment, quill and an ink bottle. Her letter told them about everything that had happened to her at Hogwarts and asked them what was going on with their new lives as Aurors-in-training. She made sure to tell them that she missed them and loved them.

Before she could get overly-emotional, Hermione snapped out of it and told herself that there was no use being sad about it, so she got up and took out the miniature gramophone from her trunk and enlarged it to its regular size.

Then she reached into a little pouch that contained her miniature records, and searched through them before her hand landed on the one she had been looking for. She pulled it out, enlarged it then placed it on the gramophone and let it play.

She took off her school robe and listened to the beginning of Whitney Houston's 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' before twirling around her room and slowly mouthing the words of the fun song.

When the chorus hit, she took her jumper off then kicked her shoes off and started singing (at a very off tune pitch) with the artist. She was now dancing and twirling at a steady pace with the beat.

She started unbuttoning her blouse slowly and un-tucking it from her school skirt. After the rocking bridge, she was hyped and happy and singing loudly. Her let-go attitude let her pick up her fuzzy cat and dance around the room with him squirming in her tight grip. At this point nothing could stop her from her one-woman show.

She laughed as she saw her reflection and realized that her cheeks were pink, her hair standing at different angles.

The song was coming to an end and she remained looking at her reflection whilst dancing to the rest of the song. When it ended, she was panting and sweating lightly, so she decided to get some sleep. Hermione unbuttoned the rest of her shirt and let it fall to the floor, then her skirt followed and now she was staring at her reflection. She was wearing a plain white bra and plain black panties. The young woman standing in front of her was hardly recognizable and she couldn't help but wonder how much the war had affected her.

She ran a hand down her stomach and over her legs, then back up her sides and over her chest. She glanced at her body one last time before turning around and putting on her pajama shorts and a tank top before crawling into her bed and falling asleep.

Hermione never noticed that she didn't close her door.

0000000000000000000

Draco had walked into the common room of the Heads dormitories, when he heard music coming from upstairs, he knew it was Granger and had hoped he would call her out for annoying him, but when he reached her door he found it open halfway.

He stood in front of the Gryffindor girl's room and his mouth dropped.

Hermione Granger was dancing and taking her clothes off.

_What. _

He blinked several times before his eyes registered that this was actually happening.

She was twirling now and unbuttoning her shirt, he caught sight of her bra and a part of his anatomy reacted dangerously when she dropped to the ground and slowly pulled herself up in tune with the music. He couldn't believe that this girl was doing to him.

He continued to stare as she ruffled her hair and picked up that ball of fuzz she called a cat. The thing looked like it was about to scratch her face. She dropped it to the floor and continued dancing in front of her mirror.

Draco didn't notice when the music ended because all of a sudden he was staring at Hermione in nothing but her underwear and bra. When he didn't think the situation could get any worse he watched as her hands trailed over herself. This was doing dangerous things to him; he quickly turned and went to his own room.

He spent the whole night imagining Hermione Granger and dreaming about her in a way he never EVER thought he could.

_This is not going to end well… _

**A/N: I had so much fun writing this chapter! I'm sorry I didn't update sooner but I was too busy fangirling over TFIOS! Also, I think I'm aware that this chapter is MUCH longer than the ones before, but I think I want the rest of the chapters to be about this long. **

**Tell me what you thought, your reviews mean everything to me! **

**xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: …. I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me… I had an excuse, really… Okay, maybe I was just lazy… Don't let my irresponsibility stop you from reading and reviewing! I propose listening to 'Liar Liar' by Cris Crab for the beginning, I don't know it sounds appropriate. ENJOY!**

Chapter 5

Draco was watching as Hermione chewed on her lower lip, brows furrowed in deep concentration. He was completely entranced by her, and every little thing she did, that it scared him shitless.

He stood up and walked over to her table in the library then picked her up off her chair and pinned her against one of the bookshelves in the back. He stared into her chocolate colored eyes and then lowered his gaze to her soft pink lips.

He couldn't resist himself, the thought of kissing her was maddening, and he just wanted to try it… to taste her. He lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers softly, then he kissed her.

It was gentle at first, but then it grew more passionate and hungry with each second. His hands slid down over her arms and onto her waist, hoisting her up and allowing her legs to wrap around him while she moved her arms around his neck and played with the hair at the back of his head. He was losing himself in her and he loved the feeling. She tasted of strawberries and tea, _probably her breakfast, _he thought.

"Malfoy," he heard her say, her lips still on his.

Then her voice grew stronger and more forceful, and it didn't even sound like her at all.

"Mr. Malfoy!" yelled Professor McGonagall from across the class.

_Huh? What just happened? _

Draco then looked around and saw that he was in his Transfiguration class, his professor looking over at him, clearly amused by the confused look on his face.

The whole class was watching him now, even her.

_Oh no… I was daydreaming again. _

He looked back at his Professor before answering coolly, "yes?"

"Do you mind not drooling over the girls in this class? I thought a young man like you could at least control himself in public," she said with a harsh but humorous tone that induced a roar of laughter from the class.

He glared at his friends who were also laughing and then turned back to his Professor and smirked.

"I'm not the one that does the drooling Professor," he said smugly, then winked at the girls in his class, half blushed while the other half rolled their eyes in annoyance.

"Pay attention Mr. Malfoy," threatened the headmistress before returning to her lesson.

_That was so close. Had I really been drooling?_ He reached up to his mouth and found a small amount of saliva playing at his lower lip. He licked it away then wiped his chin quickly before he attempted to pay attention.

Draco was ignoring her. Not that she had a problem with that but, she wasn't expected to do all the Heads duties without him. Finally, she had had enough.

She caught up with him in their shared common room just as he entered. His face was expressionless as always but she thought she saw a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

"Malfoy!" she called after he started up the stairs to his dormitory.

He turned around and gave her a bored look.

"What do you want Granger?" he asked with a tone of annoyance in his voice.

"You need to help with the Heads duties Malfoy," she replied, "I can't be expected to do everything on my own. Just look over the new prefect patrolling schedule I made before I hand it to Professor McGonagall."

"I already made the schedule," he said.

Hermione was taken aback by his statement.

"What? We can't exactly use both schedules Malfoy," she said coldly.

"Then let's just use mine Granger, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that you aren't taking any of this seriously! We're the Heads and we have a responsibility and a name to uphold. And you're just taking advantage of your position and relaxing your boney arse while I do all the work!"

His eyes suddenly looked up at her last statement and his mouth twisted into an evil smirk before he asked, "Fantasizing about my arse are you Granger?"

Hermione's mouth fell open and she stared at him with disbelief.

"What? No-no… that's not what I said," she stammered.

Draco burst out laughing at her reaction and she turned bright red.

"Relax Granger, I'm not interested," he said with a wink.

Before he turned and walked the rest of the way to his room, he continued, "We'll discuss all this Heads stuff tomorrow morning after breakfast. I don't really have anything to do on Saturday so it's no problem. Alright?"

She nodded and watched him disappear up the long staircase.

Hermione didn't even notice that she was checking out his aforementioned arse until he wasn't in her view.

_This is not natural! _Draco's mind was screaming at him.

He had to stop all the daydreaming and fantasizing and, Oh Merlin, she looked so good today… NO. He kicked himself for thinking that.

This was not good. Not good at all. This muggleborn witch he once despised is now messing with his head and invading his every thought. Draco took out the homework assigned to him from his teachers and decided that maybe working would get his mind off the girl currently on his mind.

He made the right choice, because after two hours of Transfiguration, Potions and Charms homework, all he could think of was getting something to eat.

Draco remembered that he didn't have that much to eat at dinner that day and regretted not indulging in the chocolate cake he loved the most. His stomach growled and he decided to go down to the kitchenette and see what he could make for himself.

Right as he was pushing his chair away from the table, his hand swept over the table and his arm hit the ink bottle on his desk, causing it to fall and empty its contents on his white shirt.

He cursed and groaned at the mess he made, his hands were now covered in ink and so was his shirt. He then took his shirt off and tossed it to a corner in the room and decided against using his wand so as not to get it covered in ink.

Draco walked out of his room and into the bathroom to wash his hands and rid them of the nasty and stubborn ink.

He forgot to lock the door and after a little while it creaked open and in walked Hermione in nothing but small pajama shorts (which he assumed, she brought with her from the Muggle world) and a tight white tank top that did nothing to hide her phenomenal body.

_Fuck. _

He took her in slowly, letting his eyes move to every part of her exposed nature after giving up on his still-blue hands. Draco felt a sudden jerk and thanked Merlin his pants were thick enough not to reveal his reaction to Hermione's body.

He watched as her face blushed a bright red that reached her chest.

This was doing very dangerous things to him. After what seemed like ages, Hermione cleared her throat and said something he didn't hear because there wasn't exactly that much blood in his head at the moment.

Draco blinked to clear his mind, and asked, "What?"

"I said," Hermione replied, clearly exasperated, "I need to use the bathroom, how long will you be?"

"I'm done," he said.

She looked down to his blue hands and then back up at him with a questioning look, but gave up and stood at the doorway waiting for him to leave.

Draco was going mad, but a thought crossed his mind, and he decided to act on it.

He walked up to her slowly and noticed that her eyes never left his toned and muscular body. When she turned sideways to give him space to leave the bathroom, he paused and turned to face her, then leaned in dangerously close that he felt her breasts graze his bare front.

He was staring into her entrancing brown eyes and then asked, "Like what you see Granger?" in a dangerously husky voice that sent shivers down her spine.

Draco noticed her breath hitch and felt a smirk forming at his lips.

Before she could reply, he walked away from her and down the stairs with a grin.

_This is might be fun… _

Hermione slammed the bathroom door shut and locked it, and then she walked up to the sink and splashed water on her red face.

This was the second time today she caught herself checking him out. She looked up at her reflection in the mirror and realized her face was as red as a tomato and her eyes were shining.

He shouldn't be able to do this to her! He was a Slytherin, a Death Eater, a bigoted pureblood that tormented her for six years! He was Draco Malfoy for Merlin's sake.

She suddenly straightened herself out and decided to ignore him except for Heads duties. If he wanted to provoke her like that, then she would show him that she wasn't the type of girl to fall for such weak attempts of seduction_. Even if he smelled like everything a man should smell like…_ _Or had the body of Adonis himself… NO! _

She mentally kicked herself for looking at him like that, and gathered about her wits and left the bathroom to quickly hide in her bedroom, away from the Slytherin that was taking over her thoughts.

When she found herself staring at the same page in her book for over half an hour she decided against reading and called it a night.

Right when she was at the brink of sleep, she heard a soft tapping noise at her window. When she looked up she saw a familiar white owl staring at her. Her smile was so wide and happy she thought she might split her bottom lip. She got up and opened her window to allow Hedwig into her room, she gave him a few owl treats before untying the letter tied at the owl's leg.

Hermione barely had time to unroll the letter before the snowy owl flew out the way it came. She instantly recognized Harry's messy handwriting.

_Dear 'Mione, _

_We miss you so much! Auror Training is so much fun and extremely exhausting but totally worth it. _

_Me and Ron are going on an actual mission in May, the Head of Department told us he hadn't seen any pair work better than the two of us together. Of course we told him we work much better when we have you, and we can't wait to see you, so I asked him for permission to see you again and he accepted! He allowed us to see you on the 24th of October; it's a Saturday so you don't need to miss class. I'm sorry it can't be any sooner but that's the only time he agreed to. Of course I told Ginny and she will be accompanying you. Lets meet up in Hogsmead, alright? Butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks sound okay? _

_We send you our love and hope you're not dying of boredom without us. Just joking. _

_Love, Harry_

_P.S: We're so proud of you getting Head Girl _

She jumped up and down in extreme excitement and couldn't hide her giddiness. That letter immediately made her forget her worries about Draco and she was dancing around her room in happiness. She pulled out a piece of parchment and her Muggle pen then scribbled down her confirmation for October 24th, whether she was actually free or not she was going to meet her best friends. She then rolled the parchment and kept it on her desk to take to the Owlery the next day.

She slept happily that night and didn't need to take any Dreamless Sleep Potion to keep away the nightmares, her good mood kept them away just fine.

Draco was half expecting her to run after him screaming and was slightly surprised when she didn't. He filled up a glass of water and gulped it down before going back to his room and cleaned up the mess he made with his wand.

He was tidying up his homework into a neat pile to present to his Professors the next day before shrugging off his pants and getting ready to sleep.

That night he dreamed of her running away from him outside on the grounds and he was a little surprised that he was chasing her, but when she turned her head, he heard her laugh and squeal when he grabbed onto her. He lifted her up in to the air and roared like the lion that caught his prey. She laughed even more at the sudden noise, and he was completely entranced by the sound, that he pinned her down on the grass and kissed her square on the lips.

He rolled off her then lied on his back next to the brunette and watched as the sky suddenly transformed from clear and cloudless to dark and star filled in his dream. Draco turned and watched the beautiful witch on his side as she pointed at the stars and started teaching him about the constellations he already knew about. She turned to him and noticed him staring, then her face turned into a mischievous smirk before she jumped up and ran away again. Draco got up and smiled to himself before he ran after her.

He woke up that day with a smile plastered on his face and a sudden giddiness he didn't even know he was capable of feeling.

_What did I dream of to make me feel like this anyway?_

He shrugged and got up to take a shower.

**What do ya think? Review and tell me if I'm moving a little too fast with the attraction factor, or if it's okay. Thanks for reading! **


	6. Author's note

Author's note

Sorry for the extreme delay in updating the story, this is a note to inform my amazing followers that I will pick up my laziness and toss it out the window. Please continue reading and don't forget to leave a review, I yearn for your thoughts!

I want to also tell you that I will be posting some Dramione Drabbles, so check out my stories and be sure to read them if you have the time!

I love you all, and have a great rest-of-the-day!

xx


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: This chapter is slightly MUCH longer than the rest but it's partly because I was really late in posting the fifth chapter and I wanted to leave you guys with something to think about. So enjoyyyy and I'll be posting the next chapter really soon! **

**Don't forget to read my Drabbles when you get the time! **

**Okay enough of me… Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review!**

Chapter 6

Hermione woke the next day with a small smile on her face as she remembered the letter she had read the night before. She got up and pulled a pair of jeans and a sweater, along with some undergarments to take to the bathroom for her shower. Draco let her use the bathroom first nowadays because she took less time and always woke up first.

Her thoughts were then turned to the blond and she remembered what happened yesterday, an odd tingling sensation fluttered through her and her eyes fell shut as she remembered the heat from his body radiating onto her and his masculine smell that took over her senses.

She then remembered that she was supposed to meet up with him after breakfast to discuss the prefect's schedules and more Heads duties. Without another thought she went to the bathroom and turned on the shower, remembering the letter from Harry and smiling to herself as she hummed a tune to one of her favorite Beatles tracks: Here Comes The Sun.

Her shower was a little longer than usual and because she was busy thinking about what would happen when her two best friends finally came back, she didn't notice that she accidentally used Draco's shampoo instead of hers until after she was done with her shower and looking at herself in the mirror.

She screamed in horror at the sight before her as she reached up and held a strand of soft blond hair.

_What the hell?! _

What was in that shampoo bottle that turned her hair a blinding platinum blond?! Before she could think of something to explain her hair dilemma she heard knocking on the bathroom door followed by an all too familiar voice calling out her name.

"Granger?" she heard Draco say from the other side of the door, "are you dead?"

She quickly wrapped her bath robe (that was two sizes too big) around her and tied it firmly before opening the bathroom door and glaring at her Slytherin dorm mate.

"What the bloody hell did you do to your hair?!" he asked trying his best to hide the amusement of Hermione Granger with blond hair. He coughed back a laugh at the angry look on her face.

"Wait, did you use my shampoo?" he asked.

"I think I may have, without realizing of course," she answered, "but why on Earth did it turn my hair this color?!"

"My shampoo is specially made to keep my beautiful hair soft and retain its color for a longer time," he explained honestly, "lots of people with light hair experience their hair changing color, probably getting darker, and I quite like my hair the way it is, so this shampoo is made to preserve it."

She stared blankly at him and when he had nothing more to say she growled.

"Well, what am I supposed to do with my hair now?!" she yelled. Clearly angry at the situation she was in. She looked like Draco Malfoy's younger sister… or brother considering how short her hair was.

"Yeah I have no idea," he answered with a stern look.

"Oh my Merlin," she said before turning back to the bathroom mirror and running a hand through her incredibly soft hair. _Is this what his hair feels like? _ She thought before shaking her head and turning back to see Draco standing at the bathroom door. She just noticed that he was only wearing a pair of boxers and a black silk robe that was hanging loosely at his broad shoulders, leaving his body exposed to her. _Is that a scar? _

He took a few steps into their shared bathroom and towards her.

Hermione's eyes never left his silver ones, and she didn't even notice that she was holding a breath before she exhaled as he held onto a soft blond lock on her head.

"I think I know a spell to change the color back to its original," he said softly.

She moved her head away from his touch and looked at him sternly.

"How do I know you're not going to turn it green or pink or even make me bald?" she asked coldly.

His indifferent look returned to his face and he shrugged, clearly bored.

"You can let me help you out, or you can go to breakfast with that hair," he said it like it was a business deal, "what will it be?"

She looked at her feet and then back at him before nodding shyly.

"Let me get dressed and then you can try that spell," she said with all the Gryffindor courage she could find.

He nodded and walked out of the bathroom and closed the door.

Draco stood in front of the bathroom door and stared at the floor before smiling widely at the sight of Hermione Granger with blond hair! He laughed a little to himself before walking into his room and pulling on a pair of pants himself.

He awoke that day to a sweet sound of her humming to a song he didn't recognize, and he found himself humming the same tune while he was waiting for her to finish with her shower, before he heard her scream. He bolted out of his bed and ran out of his room to find the bathroom door a shade of bright red. He kicked himself mentally at how quickly he ran to her, _why do I even care?_ He asked himself before deciding that it was only right to make sure she wasn't injured. He wasn't in the mood to be questioned by McGonagall if something had actually happened to her. But the sight of her shocked him so much he couldn't stop laughing. Even now, in his room waiting for the Gryffindor, he couldn't stop smiling at the thought.

He noticed his reflection in the mirror in his room and found his cheeks tinted a light shade of red and his eyes sparkling with amusement. _Well this is a sight you don't see everyday…_

Before he could think anything else, Hermione walked into his room in a pair of jeans and a dark blue sweater. She was still grumpy about her hair that she didn't notice Draco smiling lightly at the sight of her.

"Have a seat Granger," he said pointing at the arm chair near the window.

She nodded slightly then walked across his room and plopped down on the comfortable chair.

"Have you done this spell before?" she asked nervously watching Draco walking up to her side, still shirtless.

"Nope," he answered with a smirk, "still want me to try?"

She shrugged in defeat and said, "sure why not? It's not like you can make it any worse."

Before he could start on the spell, he caught her looking around his room with curious eyes, assessing her odd surroundings. _Typical Granger… _he thought with a small smile that he quickly covered up with a blank look in case she caught it. Her gaze then landed on Draco's bare chest and he noticed her cheeks flush a deep red; he smirked at the look on her face and stretched out his strong chest in a powerful inhale to give her something to look at. Her eyes grew wide and suddenly, the lusty glint disappeared to be replaced by horror. Draco immediately followed her eyes to see what she was so afraid of and saw the disgusting mark on his left arm. It had faded significantly since the fall of Voldemort but never truly went away.

"Shit," he muttered before aiming his wand at his arm and casting a silent glamour charm on it to hide it.

When he looked up at Hermione, he realized the look of horror in her eyes was replaced by curiosity and slight apprehension.

She opened her mouth to say something but Draco silenced her by raising his hand.

"Don't," he warned.

Hermione shut her mouth and sat up straighter in the arm chair.

He put on a black v-neck sweater before turning back to the still-blonde witch in his room.

He pulled out his wand and focused on the incantation he had learned and pointed it at her head. Nothing happened at first but then he noticed the white-blond hair become darker and darker. He noticed that a few strands of her hair only got a few shades darker before stopping but the rest of her hair was the same brown he remembered.

He dropped his wand and inspected his work, then raised his eye brow in slight surprise. He hadn't managed to get all her hair to turn back so now she had random streaks of light brown running through her hair and blending in with her dark hair.

The contrast of the colors and the odd way they merged together was rather attractive and he applauded himself on a job well done.

"Are you done?" she asked getting off the chair, breaking his daze.

"Um, yeah, but it's a little different than before," he said before she reached the mirror in his room and saw herself.

Draco was a little surprised at the look on her face after she saw her new hair. Her eyes widened then her lips broke into a smile that was dangerously contagious.

She turned around to face him with the most adorable grin he had ever seen, and then he heard her laugh with pure joy before she walked up to him and gave him a rather awkward hug.

He was a little stunned by what was happening and honestly didn't know what on earth he was supposed to do. So he just reached one of his arms around her and patted her back like she was his younger sister.

Hermione broke out of their embrace first and then blushed a deep red. She took a few steps back before stammering, "um sorry... I didn't mean to do that, sorry."

He just stared back at her with a blank expression before she smiled shyly and spoke again, "thank you, it looks wonderful."

"Just be sure not to use my shampoo again Granger, we don't need another accident," he said in a business-like manner.

Draco mentally kicked himself at the fallen look on her face before she awkwardly thanked him again and hurried out of his room.

_'You need to figure out what it is you feel for her because honestly I'm tired of your stupid attitude.' _He heard in his head.

_'Yeah well I have no idea okay!' _He replied to the rational voice.

_'She's pretty isn't she?'_

_'Stop confusing me!' _

_'I'm just stating facts here buddy.'_

_'Yea well you're annoying.'_

_'Well I'm you so…'_

_'Shut up.'_

Hermione rushed out of Draco's room a little embarrassed and then went to get her shoes and the letter to Harry and Ron before hurrying out of the portrait hole to get to the Great Hall.

She couldn't stop thinking about the look on Draco's face when he first saw her with blonde hair, or when he noticed her looking at his Mark, or even after she hugged him.

_What on Earth possessed me to do that? _

The face that stuck out the most was the look of terror and disgust when she noticed his Mark. At first she had to admit, she was terrified but then it dawned on her that he was forced into it (that's why the area around it was red and covered in small blisters) and that was in the past.

Even if he hated to admit it, Draco had changed. She noticed it in the way he behaved in class and around her. He stopped calling her a Mudblood or any other profanity for that matter. And he even stopped insulting Neville when he made a mistake in class.

She was intrigued by how quickly he hid the Mark, how ashamed he was of his own past.

_Everyone deserves a second chance, even Malfoy… _

Before she knew it she was in the Great Hall and walking to her friends at the Gryffindor table. Neville, Ginny, Dean, Luna and Seamus were sitting down and having breakfast, when they noticed her walking towards them, they all looked up in awe.

Seamus let out a too-obvious wolf whistle and then said, "Merlin Hermione, if yer goin t get any prettier yer gonna tear me heart out lass."

Hermione blushed at the blunt compliment before she took a seat next to Ginny.

"Thank you," she said, "I think…"

He laughed lightly before Ginny spoke up.

"Wow 'Mione, you look really good! But highlights? How and why may I ask?"

"Well," Hermione started looking over at her friend's curious faces, "it's a rather weird turn-of-events…"

"After everything we've been through, I hardly doubt this story is _that _weird," said Neville with a small smile.

Hermione straightened up and took a deep breath before she told them of the events of her morning, leaving out the details such as: Draco being shirtless, or his Mark, or the awkward hug.

They listened intently before laughing out loud, she couldn't help but smile helplessly at her silly incident.

"You should've seen me with blond hair, I looked like his little brother," she said before laughing along with her friends.

"My God Hermione," said Dean after calming down from his laugh, "if anyone had to take a guess as to how your hair changed, NO ONE would have guessed that!"

"But you do look really good Hermione," said Luna.

The rest of her friends nodded in agreement, and she couldn't help the blush that took over her face.

"Thank you," she muttered shyly.

She looked up from her table over to the Slytherin table and saw Draco sitting down with Blaise Zabini and Theo Nott. Before she could look away, her brown eyes caught his silver ones and she smiled lightly at him. His blank eyes softened a little and he nodded at her in response.

Glancing down at her watch, she realized that it was almost noon and she still hadn't sent her letter to Harry and Ron. She politely excused herself from the table and declined the invitation to go with her friends and watch the Gryffindor Quidditch practice.

Draco noticed Hermione get up and leave the Great Hall, he thought she was going back to their dorm so they could work on the Heads duties, so he stood up and decided to follow her.

Before he made it to the door, a head with long red hair stopped him. He noticed the yellow and bronze tie and frowned.

"Excuse me," he said before he tried to side-step her and continue to find Hermione.

"Actually, I want to talk to you," said the dark-haired Hufflepuff.

He gave her a bored look then arched an eyebrow at her forwardness.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

"I'm Susan Bones," the girl said.

His expression was still lost and he exhaled in annoyance.

"I was in your Herbology and Charms class since first year," she said, trying to jog his memory.

"Nope, not ringing any bells," he fought hard not to make a remark about her being a Hufflepuff. Oh the struggle.

"Anyway, it's not important, Professor McGonagall said that we can come to either you or Hermione if we have any suggestions, and I was thinking about maybe, throwing a Halloween ball to help loosen the students' nerves. Some of them are still really nervous and some can't round a corner without taking out their wands in defense-"

"A ball?" he asked cutting her off.

"Now hear me out Malfoy before you start making fun of me-"

"No I think it's a brilliant idea," he said honestly. The look on his face hadn't changed (out of years of experience) but he was glad that someone brought up the idea.

"Really?" she asked, quite shocked.

"Yeah, listen Buttons-"

"Bones."

"Come to the Heads dorms tonight at 6, we'll discuss with Granger and make a plan," he said turning away from her and walking out of the Great Hall. He didn't care for her response but heard her yell out a 'thank you' after him.

He walked in the direction Hermione went in and tried listing the places he would pass that she would most likely be in. He looked into a few classes, before he decided she was probably in the West Tower.

He walked up the narrow staircase and up to the Owlery, panting lightly at the long walk. He stopped slowly when he caught a head of short brown hair.

Hermione was standing near the open windows and she was petting a small grey owl. A light breeze went through and she hugged her arms around herself, she was only wearing a sweater and it was quite cold up here. She smiled at the hooting owls around her and looked out at the beautiful view.

He was staring.

He didn't even notice he was until an owl flew in front of him.

No matter how hard he tried to ignore his attraction to her he had to admit that she was pretty.

_It's just hormones, I'm a guy and she's pretty. That's the only reason. _

He walked up to her and shrugged off his jacket and held it out to her.

She looked at the jacket and her eyes followed his arm to land on his face. He noticed her shock slowly turn to confusion before she gave him a small smile.

"You're freezing," he said, "take it."

Hermione was reluctant at first but then she reached out and took his offering with a nod.

After she zipped it up and held it to herself, she turned to look at him.

"Following me are you?" she asked with a hint of humor.

"I wanted to remind you that we still need to sort out the prefect's schedule and work on other things as well," he replied, not looking at her.

"I'm a little shocked you even care," she said sarcastically.

"Well I do," he replied coldly.

He finally met her eyes and he saw the confusion laced in her hazel orbs.

Draco would never admit this to her but he admired the way she wore her emotions on her sleeve. Unlike him. He was taught that showing your true feelings was a sign of weakness.

"You've changed," she said.

"Yes well Granger, puberty happens to us all," he answered with a smirk.

"That's not what I a meant."

He couldn't help but smile at her annoyed expression.

"I know what you meant," he said softly, the smirk disappearing from his face. He returned it to its natural blank expression.

"Should we go back to the dorm and discuss our work?" she asked.

He nodded and they turned back and started walking back to their common room.

It was the most awkward walk back.

They didn't say anything to each other, and Hermione was a little guilty in thinking about keeping his jacket.

It smelled just like him, like musk and sandalwood with a hint of masculinity. It was so warm and soft and she felt herself melting into it.

He broke the silence when they were about halfway to the dorm.

"A Hufflepuff girl is coming to the common room at 6 to discuss the possibility of throwing a ball," he said.

"You spoke to a Hufflepuff?" she asked in disbelief, her eyes widening at the shock.

"Yes, Granger, I did," he said, a smirk grazing his lips.

_His lips are so full… _

_What. _

_No. _

_Control yourself Hermione. _

"Who's the girl? Is she in our year?" she asked.

"Susanne Bear or something, and yeah apparently she is," he replied.

"There's not one by that name in Hufflepuff," she said, "wait, is her name Susan Bones?"

"Oh yeah that's it."

"Honestly Draco," she said smiling at his stupidity.

Draco stopped abruptly and looked at her with a confused expression. When she looked at him she realized what she had just said.

She said his name. His first name. Out loud.

She's never addressed him by his first name. Ever.

"Oh, um…" she stammered, clearly nervous and confused.

Hermione looked over at the blond man in front of her and noticed him staring down at her. She didn't know what he thought about her name slip.

"Well since we're being civil towards one another, I don't see why we shouldn't just call each other by our first names… Hermione" he said.

He sounded frighteningly honest.

She just nodded her head dumbly and continued walking ahead.

Her tongue crept out of her mouth and licked her lips, tasting the sound of his name.

She liked the way she said it casually. Like he and her had never had any misunderstandings or problems.

Like their lives were normal and there was no difficulty.

Like they were actually friends.

**A/N: Don't forget to leave a review! Tell me if you like where its going or if I'm going too fast or too slow. I love your thoughts! And they are deeply appreciated! **


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